I LOCAL NEWS
THE CADILLAC FAMILY
JCCouncil Criticizes
Days of Rage' Film
RICHARD PEARL
Staff Writer
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FRIDAY. AUGUST 25, 1989
embers of the
Jewish Community
Council of
Metropolitan Detroit are
criticizing the scheduled
telecasting of a controversial
film on the intifada as being
inappropriate for public
television.
The film, Days of Rage: The
is
Young Palestinians,
scheduled to air next month.
"Sources we respect who
have seen the program tell us
that Days of Rage is a blatant-
ly distorted and biased pro-
paganda piece, which totally
ignores the violence and ter-
rorism committed by a large
number of Palestinians
against both Israelis and
fellow Palestinians," Council
President Paul D. Borman
said.
"Given its obvious defects,
Days of Rage is not an ap-
propriate program for a
public-sponsored educational
network," Borman said.
WTVS-TV Channel 56, the
Public Broadcasting System
affiliate in Detroit, will
telecast "Intifada: The
Palestinians and Israel" at 9
p.m. on Sept. 6. Central to the
program is the 90-minute
Days of Rage documentary,
which reports on the uprising
in the West Bank and Gaza
from the perspective of
Palestinians.
Filmed in the administered
territories by independent
producer Jo Franklin-Trout,
Rage shows extensive inter-
views with Palestinians who
discuss living in the ad-
ministered territories and tell
what they hope to achieve
with the intifada.
"The film asserts that it is
the aim of young Palestinians
to exchange the recognition of
Israel's right to exist for the
formation of a Palestinian
state," the station said.
The Jewish Telegraphic
Agency reported "a storm of
protests and criticism" in
New York had greeted PBS'
intention to air the program.
The JTA said there were
"claims by numerous Jewish
organizations that the Days of
Rage documentary is an anti-
Israel propaganda piece" and
that "numerous letters of pro-
test have been sent to both
PBS and WNET, asking that
they reconsider their deci-
sion" to show the film.
"Some WNET members,
who make yearly contribu-
tions to the station, have
threatened to cancel their
memberships if the documen-
tary is shown," according to
JTA. WNET is the
originating station.
In Detroit, many members
of the community called the
Council to express concern
over the film.
Paula Sulinski, public infor-
mation director at WTVS,
said she received calls from
the Arab community in
Detroit, asking why it was
taking so long to air the
program.
She said PBS "was trying to
find the right station to pre-
sent the program because the
network wanted to have a
balanced presentation."
WNYC in New York, initial-
ly chosen to originatethe pro-
'The film asserts
that it is the aim
of young
Palestinians to
exchange the
recognition of
Israel's right to
exist for the
formation of a
Palestinian state.'
gram, declined to do so
because the Rage film lacked
balance, according to Chloe
Aaron, a WNYC official.
As now formatted, the 2
1/2-hour program will begin
with a segment on the West
Bank and Gaza Strip, follow-
ed by Days of Rage. It will con-
clude with a 40-minute
videotaped panel discussion
covering both the film and the
current situation in Israel, ac-
cording to the Detroit station.
"We feel that the balanced
package will present the
range of opinions involved" —
both Palestinian and Israeli,
Sulinski said.
Discussion panel members
include Seymour Reich, chair-
man of the Conference of
Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations; James
Zogby, director of the Arab
American Institute; Richard
Murphy, former U.S. assistant
secretary of state for Near
Eastern and South Asian af-
fairs; Walter Ruby, New York
correspondent for the
Jerusalem Post; and Alan L.
Keyes, former assistant
secretary of state for interna-
tional organizational affairs
in the Reagan Administra-
tion. Journalist Hodding
Carter, state department
spokesman during the Carter
administration, is the panel
moderator. ❑